Democrat Jill Derby is running for the US House in an open seat vacated by GOP Rep. Jim Gibbons who is running for Governor. Gibbons is also the guy involved in multiple scandals, including his allegedly having attacked a woman in a parking lot last week and now having employed an illegal immigrant while publicly railing against, you guessed it, illegal immigrants. And in the latest scandal, his wife is now facing questions about possibly perjury.
This race should be a slam dunk for the GOP, it's not.
According to the Congressional Quarterly, the race only "leans Republican" - which is just this side of a toss-up. CQ notes that "Local observers say Derby has done a good job of crafting a centrist and grass-roots image that is palatable in the district, and has benefited from the national trend that seems to go against Republicans."
According to the Las Vegas Sun:
"Polls show Nevada's 2nd Congressional District, an open seat, in a statistical dead heat despite Republicans' 48,000-voter registration advantage. Democrat Jill Derby, a university regent and rancher's daughter who jokes about cowpies in her ads, has tried to woo rural voters away from Republican Secretary of State Dean Heller."Jill Derby has $184,000 in cash on hand, her Republican opponent, Dean Heller, has $280,000. In the grand scheme of things, that's pretty close. And the House Republicans have only spent $21,286 on this race, which isn't much. That means it's a race in which your support can really make a difference.
Derby wants to see a new direction in Iraq, wants to increase the minimum wage, is against privatizing social security, pro-choice, and she was endorsed by Nevada Impact as lgbt-friendly.
The GOP candidate, Heller, is anti-choice and believes that stopping gay marriage is one of the top issues he faces. He's also in favor of privatizing social security and supports George Bush's view on Iraq. You get the picture.
Jill is the real deal, and has a real chance in a rural district where a small amount of money goes a long way. Let's show Jill Derby some love. Thanks.
